America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

“Peter, we saved you a steamed bun,” Stephanie said.

"Thank you!"

“Peter, can I take a picture?” Gwen asked.

"Now?" Peter looked up and quickly swallowed the steamed bun in his mouth.

“What I mean is you take a picture with the food truck, and we’ll hang it up for advertising,” Gwen said.

"You sold out on the first day you set up your stall, so you don't need Peter's help to promote it, right?" Li Qun asked.

“Peter just needs to beat his opponents all the way through the competition, but we have a lot more to consider when running a food truck,” Gwen said.

“Having a spokesperson is different from not having one! We can earn more with a spokesperson,” Harry said.

"Am I a spokesperson for the food truck? Will I get paid?" Peter asked Harry.

“You’re already living off your endorsement fees,” Gwen said.

Peter glanced down at the box of steaming hot xiaolongbao he was holding and nodded.

“At least two boxes of xiaolongbao,” Peter said.

“That’s decided,” Gwen said.

“It’s getting late, I’ll take the others home first.” Li Qun glanced at his watch, and Gwen tossed her van keys to him. Li Qun then gestured for the gang members to get in the van.

“Harry, where do you live?” Stephanie asked.

"I don't need to bother you, I have someone to pick me up. Look, over there."

The butler, Bernard, pulled up to the side of the road, and Harry walked over with his backpack. He opened the back door, tossed the backpack into the back seat, and then sat in the front passenger seat.

"See you tomorrow!"

Harry poked his head out of the passenger window, laughing and waving goodbye.

“Is that his father?” Stephanie asked.

“That’s his butler, Mr. Bernard. Harry’s father is very busy and probably hasn’t seen Harry for several months,” Peter replied to Stephanie.

"Harry has a butler?" Stephanie was slightly surprised.

“Actually, Mr. Bernard picks Harry up from school every day, but Harry doesn’t let anyone know it,” Peter said.

"He doesn't seem like a young master at all; he's quite low-key," Stephanie said.

"To keep a low profile?" Gwen laughed.

“Otherwise what? At my previous school, some of my classmates from wealthy families drove sports cars to school and had to park them at the school gate,” Stephanie said.

“It’s because his dad is strict. Stephanie, haven’t you noticed that Harry is just like your rich kid classmate from your last school when it comes to messing around with clubrooms?” Gwen said.

"Harry even helped us sell steamed buns."

“He has a sweet tooth and is willing to go to great lengths for delicious food,” Gwen said.

Stephanie drove Peter and Gwen home in her food truck. After Gwen rested for an hour, Li Qun knocked on her door to return the car and keys.

"Liqun, come and return the car. You're not going to take the public bus home by yourself later, are you?" Gwen asked Liqun with a frown.

“It’s not that complicated. You don’t need to worry about how I get home,” Li Qun said to Gwen.

“Never mind, I’ll drive you home again.” Gwen picked up her coat.

Li Qun reached out and pressed Gwen down.

“Look at the time, it’s getting late. This back and forth is never going to end,” Li Qun said to Gwen.

Has Uncle George not come home yet?

“If he were home, he would have come out to watch you by now,” Gwen said.

"Are you hungry?" Li Qun asked.

“I haven’t had dinner yet, but I’ve had xiaolongbao,” Gwen replied.

"I can tell you're still a bit hungry."

"Can I cook dinner at your house?" Li Qun asked.

“Alright, since you asked.” Gwen hung her coat back on the coat rack and turned to get Li Qun a pair of slippers for him to change into.

"Check what's in the refrigerator."

Li Qun washed his hands and went to the kitchen with Gwen to open the refrigerator door and see what they could do.

“Tomatoes, I like tomatoes.” Gwen took a few tomatoes out of the refrigerator.

"There are eggs..."

"You bought a rice cooker? We can have scrambled eggs with tomatoes and rice now." Li Qun took out five eggs.

Li Qun put on an apron and started working in the kitchen. She started cooking rice in the JP rice cooker that Gwen had bought, and while the rice was almost cooked, Li Qun prepared the scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

Forty minutes is the time it takes for the rice cooker to finish cooking the rice, and it's also the time Liqun and Gwen are waiting for dinner.

"You really don't need me to see you off?" Gwen stood at the door, looking at Li Qun with a hint of reluctance.

“Yeah.” Li Qun nodded.

Li Qun left Gwen's house, and Gwen went to the balcony. She looked down at the apartment building from the balcony, but Li Qun did not appear in Gwen's sight.

Gwen searched for a while with her head down, but didn't see anyone who resembled Li Qun. Li Qun had already opened a portal and gone home when no one was paying attention.

……

At the White family home, Stephanie and Walter were at the dining table doing the day's accounts, while their mother, Skylar, sat beside them watching the two children do the math.

"The steamed buns were all sold out in less than half an hour. At first, we were worried that we wouldn't be able to sell them all," Stephanie said.

The dining table was piled high with banknotes and coins. Stephanie carefully sorted them into categories, and little Walter showed Stephanie the ledger.

"So, if you want to sell steamed buns, you can't watch Peter fight with other people?" Walter asked.

“It’s only the preliminary rounds, nothing much to see yet. Li Qun told us about today’s match; Peter knocked his opponent out of the ring in just a couple of moves,” Stephanie replied.

"Peter is so amazing!"

"The first match, Peter's opponent..." Stephanie told Little Walter about the match she had heard from Li Qun that day.

Chapter 182 A Terrible Meal

There was a newsstand next to the public bus stop. Li Qun stopped in front of the newsstand, picked up a few third-rate tabloids from New York City, and glanced at the contents.

After confirming that newspapers had reported on the street fighting tournament, Li Qun bought all of those newspapers.

Li Qun put the newspaper into his backpack and walked towards the school.

It was morning, and there was still some time before class started. Li Qun first found Stephanie's food truck parked near the school, and Stephanie was in the food truck.

"Good morning."

"Good morning."

Li Qun boarded the food truck, while Stephanie prepared her breakfast on the truck: a cup of hot coffee and a basket of steamed buns.

“It’s tough setting up a stall every day. Would you like a coffee?” Stephanie asked Li Qun.

"I brought my own tea." Li Qun took out a thermos from the side of his backpack and took a sip of warm tea.

“We made a lot of money yesterday. Liqun, this is your share,” Stephanie said.

"I'll take this as tuition for Xiaolongbao." Li Qun took the envelope from Stephanie's hand, opened it in front of Stephanie, and counted the banknotes inside.

“Okay.” Stephanie smiled at Li Qun.

"We're not setting up our stall today; the steamed buns aren't ready yet," Stephanie said.

“I know, we’re not selling steamed buns full-time,” Li Qun said.

Stephanie got up and checked the steamed buns in the steamer. Seeing that they were almost ready, she began to eat breakfast.

“I plan to increase investment; we currently have too few steamers.”

"Are you planning to add a few more steamers?" Li Qun asked.

"Eight?"

"If we add eight more steamers, the stack of steamers will reach this height, which is fine." Li Qun gestured by the stove.

“Beef-filled buns are a bit monotonous. I’d like to add another type. Which filling do you think would be better for us?” Stephanie asked.

"How about cabbage-filled buns?" Liqun replied.

"Vegetable filling? Will it taste good?"

“I wouldn’t recommend it if it didn’t taste good. Cabbage filling is much easier to make than beef and scallion filling, and it sounds healthier.”

“We can try making a few in the car after school,” Li Qun said.

Li Qun glanced at the time, then left the food truck with Stephanie and headed towards the school.

After entering the school, the group gathered together next to the lockers in the corridor.

"I bought a few newspapers; yesterday's match was featured in the tabloids." Li Qun took out the newspapers from his backpack and handed one to everyone.

Peter looked intently at the tabloid's entertainment section, which featured a report about his game yesterday, complete with a photo.

"When will it be in the Daily Bugle?" Harry joked, holding up the newspaper.

"We might be able to see it during the main competition, in the city section," Li Qun said.

"It could also be related to the financial sector. The commercialization of this fighting tournament is very obvious, with far more hype than in previous years," Gwen said.

“Peter, what would you do with the prize money?” Harry asked.

“Let’s treat everyone to a celebratory meal first, then go buy a new pair of shoes,” Peter said.

“Peter, did you go home barefoot yesterday?” Li Qun asked.

“I climbed through the window back into my bedroom, found a pair of shoes, and walked around without Aunt May not noticing,” Peter replied.

“I got home a little late yesterday, and Aunt Mei was a little worried.”

"Are we going to set up a stall to sell steamed buns today?" Peter asked Stephanie.